


Ever Us

by Chancy_Lurking



Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Banned Together Bingo, Lesbian Character, Multi, Polyamory, Trans Female Character, Trans Neal Caffrey, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, a cishet person missing the point but being nice about it, gender euphoria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28202037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chancy_Lurking/pseuds/Chancy_Lurking
Summary: Shaking the rain off her umbrella outside the gallery where she’s meeting Elizabeth for a date, she grins when she spots her standing in a spotlight inside the foyer like a piece of artwork herself. Neal knows she must look helplessly enamored when Elizabeth spots her and brightens, but she doesn’t mind.(Elizabeth and Neal have girls' night.)
Relationships: Elizabeth Burke/Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke/Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey
Kudos: 29
Collections: Banned Together Bingo 2020





	Ever Us

**Author's Note:**

> Banned Together Bingo Square: Lesbians!!

Everything about Neal’s appearance is carefully orchestrated and that doesn’t change when her gender does.

She still favors suits—crisp, with high thread counts—many of which were already hers, now tailored to fit her new body. There is a relief to wearing dresses, though, a joy in the way people don’t think she’s a brave man wearing a dress, just… another woman.

“I don’t understand,” Peter had said, after she’d recovered from surgery enough to return to work, “how it’s _possible_ you’ve gotten more confident. You were already insufferable,” he finished, still looking like he thought Neil was art and puzzle all at once.

The status quo of his adoration has not changed.

So, Neal just smiled, pressed a bright red kiss against his jaw. “I needed this last step to get to 100% confidence.”

Peter had hummed, turning to kiss her lips with a smile. “That 99% got boring, huh?”

“Yeah, it did,” she agreed, because it’s simpler than explaining that she feels more peace being recognized as a woman than she ever had being addressed as a man.

Somehow, though, she’d forgotten an aspect of what that means.

Shaking the rain off her umbrella outside the gallery where she’s meeting Elizabeth for a date, she grins when she spots her standing in a spotlight inside the foyer like a piece of artwork herself. Neal knows she must look helplessly enamored when Elizabeth spots her and brightens, but she doesn’t mind.

“El, as beautiful as ever.”

“Well, thank you, gorgeous,” she replies, greeting Neal with a hand on her waist and a kiss.

“ _Oh!_ ” someone exclaims.

Elizabeth, to her credit, doesn’t startle away from Neal, even if she does turn with something like surprise on her face. Neal doesn’t know the woman staring at them, but Elizabeth says, “Oh, Carol, hi!” genuinely enough that Neil knows she’s not expressly displeased to see her.

She doesn’t take her hand off Neal to greet her, though.

So, Neal is expecting any manner of pseudo-niceties; some casual transphobia, an accusation of cheating—annoying, but nothing new.

Instead, this baffled, but not overtly hostile woman says, “Hi! I’d heard—Sorry, I didn’t know you were a lesbian now!”

There’s a gap of stunned silence, before Neal is hit by a confused rush of weariness and… still joy? For however much explaining the queer umbrella to cishet people gets tired _fast_ , there’s still always a moment of euphoria when people misunderstand Neil without misgendering her. Still, she bites her lip to keep from laughing as Elizabeth says, “Oh, no, we’re…”

Carol is apologetic, if confused, but happy enough to meet Elizabeth’s (and Peter’s) _girlfriend_.

“You know, I almost want to cry,” Neal confesses softly once they’ve moved on to stand in front of a very nice fresco.

Elizabeth looks up at her in concern, squeezing her fingers. “Why, sweetie?”

Neal _will_ cry if she looks at her, so she kisses her head instead. “That’s the first time I’ve been introduced as someone’s girlfriend.”


End file.
